For people with diabetes, one of the leading causes of hospitalisation has traditionally been foot ulceration and the eventual need for lower limb amputation.
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With that in mind, a high-risk foot service was launched at Wagga Base Hospital 12 months ago.
Since it began, the service has seen 137 people and 74 of them have completed their treatment and left the program. Just four ultimately needed to undergo amputations.
The remaining 63 people are still actively seeking health staff at the service.
Podiatrist Astrid Codemo said the goal was to help patients improve their conditions in the longer term.
"A lot of the patients that we're seeing have compromised vascular status, so their wounds can't heal because they don't have the blood flow getting down to them, so that's why it's important we've got the vascular team involved," she said.
"They're also at risk of things like gangrene and infection."
With amputation comes not only the physical affects, but also impacts on people's ability to actively remain connected to their community.
In the past there has not been a publicly provided service to help provide the specialised care people may need.
"We haven't had anything like this in the area. In the past it's all been privately based," Ms Codemo said.
"A lot of the patients we are seeing unfortunately come from lower socio-economic areas and they would be struggling to see a podiatrist as regularly as they do here and they wouldn't always be able to afford the orthotic devices in addition to the treatment and the dressings and what-not."
Nurse manager Mitch Woods said the success of the service in its first year has staff now looking at how they can expand it further.
Already the team is using technology like telehealth and, Mr Woods said, the establishment of an outreach clinic at Griffith is being considered.
